Epic says its new AI-built launcher is faster than Steam
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Epic Games has made a “Preview” version of its new Epic Games Launcher available. The company says it was rebuilt from scratch with AI assistance and is faster, more responsive and redesigned. Epic says using AI made the work more efficient for a small team and allowed it to rewrite the codebase for Windows and Mac, with a Linux version also planned.
The launcher includes groups and voice chat, PC library integration, grid or list views, game and download information, and refreshed navigation. Epic says it starts faster, switches between the store and library more quickly, and uses fewer background resources than Steam. Ars Technica’s testing found that the app reaches the store page a few seconds sooner than Steam in a cold start, although the claimed 0.06-second difference when restoring from the system tray is practically imperceptible. The preview version may contain bugs.
Why it matters · editorial interpretation
The case illustrates how Epic credits AI with making a small team more efficient while rewriting a cross-platform application. Ars Technica’s independent comparison suggests a limited advantage in some scenarios, while the Preview version may still contain bugs.
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